Fair housing rights agency serving Trumbull hampered by federal funding cuts

The Fair Housing Resource Center, Inc. (FHRC), a Painesville-based organization that helps victims of housing discrimination in Trumbull, Ashtabula, Geauga, and Lake counties, has laid off approximately three-quarters of its staff following the termination of critical federal funding.

That’s according to Patricia Kidd, Executive Director of FHRC, who said in a statement that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) abruptly notified the organization on Feb. 27, 2025, that its Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) grants would be eliminated.

Kidd said the decision, made under the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), jeopardizes the organization's ability to provide free legal services, investigations, advocacy, and education to individuals and families facing housing discrimination and unlawful evictions.

"HUD's decision is not just a bureaucratic action—it is an erosion of civil rights protections that millions of Americans depend on," Kidd stated. "By cutting funding for enforcement, HUD is sending a clear message that it is stepping back from its responsibility to uphold housing justice. Without these resources, victims of housing discrimination will be left without recourse, and communities already struggling with displacement will suffer even more."

According to Kidd, the timing of the funding termination is concerning, coinciding with a USA Today article that highlighted the impact of federal budget cuts on housing justice efforts, including FHRC's work. While HUD claims the termination aligns with shifting agency priorities, FHRC argues that it undermines the Fair Housing Act of 1968.

FHRC said it has assisted numerous individuals and families in the four-county region in combating discrimination based on race, disability, gender, and source of income. The loss of funding will significantly impair its capacity to continue this work.

In addition to exploring administrative options to appeal HUD's decision, Kidd says FHRC is closely monitoring a federal lawsuit filed in Massachusetts by several fair housing organizations challenging HUD's termination of FHIP grants nationwide.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, names HUD and the Department of Government Efficiency as defendants. It argues that terminating 78 FHIP grants across 33 states was arbitrary and unlawful. The plaintiffs, including fair housing centers from Massachusetts, Idaho, Texas, and Ohio (Housing Research and Advocacy Center d/b/a Fair Housing Center for Rights & Research in Cleveland), seek an injunction to reinstate the grants.

FHRC is urging community members, elected officials, and civil rights advocates to contact their Congressional representatives, HUD officials, and local leaders to oppose the funding cuts.